China tells Palace to strictly screen Chinese aliens

China's Ambassador Zhao Jianhua has called on Philippine authorities to strictly monitor the entry of Chinese workers as he expressed concern over reports of exploitation by their employers, Malacañang said Tuesday.

Zhao conveyed this concern to presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo during their meeting on Monday in the Palace.

"We talked about the concern of the Chinese government on their Chinese nationals. He was telling me that we should be very strict on the compliance by Chinese employers having engaged in business, diyan sa mga casino," Panelo said at a news conference.

"Kasi daw iyong mga kinukuha nilang Chinese nationals are in constant fear because according to him, iyon daw mga employers, kinuha iyong mga pasaporte nila – di hindi sila makaalis. So takot na takot dahil baka kung they’re not here through legal means, either makulong sila or madi-deport," he added.

Panelo said on Monday that Zhao called for cooperation in strictly monitoring the situation and swift investigation and prosecution of those responsible in the exploitation of Chinese workers in the illegal gambling operations.

"Kailangan maging strict tayo na hindi makapasok dito without passing through the legal requirements," he said.

Zhao has appealed to Philippine law enforcement agencies to deal with the illegal Chinese workers "professionally." He said the governments of both countries were handling the issue of illegal foreign workers in accordance with their respective laws and regulations.

"If we discover that they are illegally staying here we will prosecute them or deport them as the case may be. And prosecute also the Chinese employers," Panelo said. —NB, GMA News